{
  "id": 125388,
  "title": "What will happen when a SpaceX rocket collides with the Moon?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/what-will-happen-when-a-spacex-rocket-collides-with-the-moon-125388",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-04T09:13:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Science",
    "slug": "bbc-science",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx25yn22l97o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Wednesday, scientists anticipate a SpaceX rocket will collide with the Moon, marking yet another impact in its cratered history. This will occur on 5 August when the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, traveling at approximately 2.43 kilometres per second or 5,400mph, crashes into the lunar surface. The US space agency, NASA, reached this conclusion after astronomers discovered the rocket's trajectory from public data.\n\nThere is no threat to Earth from this event, according to NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell. NASA will track the booster for training and observe the impact site for scientific purposes. The SpaceX object, about the size of a five-story building and weighing at least 4,000kg, is expected to create a crater more than 17m in diameter near the Einstein crater, which is visible from Earth.\n\nThe collision is expected to captivate astronomers worldwide, both amateur and professional. Dr. Matt Bothwell, public astronomer at the University of Cambridge, describes the impact as \"something really huge smashing into the Moon\" and predicts a plume of dust may rise up to 50km into the air. While the event won't be visible from Earth with the naked eye, those with access to sophisticated telescopes may witness a flash radiating off the Moon's surface.\n\nAstronomers are preparing to study the impact closely, using big telescopes in the Americas, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and South Korea's Danuri probe. A citizen-science project is also inviting amateurs to film the impact. By capturing the dust plume, scientists hope to turn this accidental crash into a valuable experiment, improving lunar impact models and revealing clues about the subsurface material exposed at the new crater.\n\nDr. Bothwell also emphasizes the importance of addressing the growing issue of human-made space debris, warning of a potential \"runaway cascade\" as more objects are launched into orbit each year.",
  "summary": "Our satellite has endured countless blows over millions of years - and astronomers think this one could be a useful accident.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "What will happen when a SpaceX rocket collides with the Moon?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/what-will-happen-when-a-spacex-rocket-collides-with-the-moon",
        "published": "2026-08-04T09:13:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Science",
        "title": "SpaceX rocket about to crash into the moon in unintentional collision",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/spacex-rocket-about-to-crash-into-the-moon-in-unintentional-collision",
        "published": "2026-08-05T00:16:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}